Sichuan Dry Fried Beef Slivers
The result: a mixture of crisp beef and vegetable slivers topped off with just the right amount of fiery goodness.
Dry frying is a common cooking method in Sichaun (Szechuan) cuisine. Meat is stir-fried until its excess moisture evaporates and it becomes slightly crisp, then chili bean sauce is added to the oil to coat the meat in rich, spicy redness. The vegetables are then added and stir-fried for a minute or two, and the remaining sauce ingredients are added.
I created two dry-fried dishes from Fuchsia Dunlop’s Sichuan cookbook, Land of Plenty, this one with beef slivers and another with chunks of chicken thigh. As with all stir-fry dishes they’re very easy to assemble, requiring only some extra prep work. These dishes, however, are a little more fun because of the hot red paste added in. It sizzles a bit when it hits the oil, and mixes in to create a wonderful, aromatic little pan sauce. The little bit of soy sauce and salt at the end evens the flavor out, and darkens the color a tad. There’s a nice rhythm involved in making these stir-fries, just be sure you’ve got everything prepped before you start.
First cut the meat into thin slices
Then cut the slices into slivers
Celery, ginger, and scallion whites cut batonnet
Stir-fry the beef until the excess moisture evaporates
Add the chili bean paste and stir-fry to release its potent spiciness
Stir-fry the vegetables for a minute or two
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: Land of Plenty
1 pound lean beef (flank steak is good)
4 celery stalks
salt to taste
a 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger
2 scallions, white parts only
1/3 cup peanut oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or medium-dry sherry
2-3 tablespoons Sichuanese chili bean paste
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
chili oil to finish (optional)
½ teaspoon ground roasted Sichuan pepper
Cut the beef into thin slices and then against the grain into fine slivers (less than a ¼ inch thick). Discard any fat or gristly bits. Using a knife, scrape off the tough outer strings of the celery stalks, chop them into 3-inch sections, and then cut these lengthwise into thin strips to match the beef. Sprinkle the celery with a little salt to draw out some of the water (about ¼ teaspoon will do). Peel the ginger, slice it, and cut it into fine slivers. Cut the scallion whites into fine slivers to match the ginger.
Season your wok, then add 1/3 cup of fresh peanut oil. Heat over a high flame until smoking, and then add the beef and mix well. The liquid will become cloudy initially as the beef releases its juices. Stir-fry constantly until the liquid has cleared and the beef has lost most of its water content and is beginning to crisp up-this will take about 10 minutes, depending on the beef you use (you will notice that the beef starts sizzling as the water disappears). As the meat dries out, splash the Shaoxing rice wine around the edges of the wok and let it sizzle.
When the oil is clear, turn the heat down to medium, push the beef up to one side of the wok, and tilt the wok so the oil runs into the space you have created. Drop the chili bean paste into the oil and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the oil is red and fragrant. Add the ginger and scallions, mix everything together, and continue to stir-fry for another 10 seconds or so until you can smell the ginger. Finally, add the celery, soy sauce, and salt to taste, and continue to stir-fry until the celery is just cooked. Remove the wok from the heat, stir in the sesame oil, and tip onto a serving plate.
Drizzle with a little chili oil, if desired, and sprinkle with a few generous pinches of Sichuan pepper.
Other Chinese recipes:
Savory Chinese Braised Pork Belly
Chinese Boiled Beef in Fiery Sichuan Broth
Hot-and-Numbing Dried Beef & Sesame Beef
